Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Lord is clear in the Gospel: all the commandments, all the rules, boil down to two: Love God first and more than anything else; and, love your neighbor as yourself.Then the first reading adds this: God measures our devotion, our religion, our love of him, by how treat the least, the last and the lost. In Bible times, they spoke about the widow, the orphan, the poor and the alien – that is, the foreigner. But in our times, who are these people – these last, these least, these lost?I think we can figure it out, if we really want to. We know that our laws don’t protect the unborn child.And our society increasingly pushes the notion that if you are too sick or too old, you should just die. In six states, it’s now legal to kill people who are sick, if they ask. God also says, “you shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” We all know there are challenges associated with immigration, and with accepting refugees into our country. The laws ought to be obeyed, let us agree. And let us also agree that all countries have the right to regulate migration into their countries. And, third, we know that our country has been generous.Having said that, can we find ways to continue to be generous? President Trump had some pretty harsh things to say last year in the campaign; it was not his finest hour. As Catholics and as citizens, we have the right, and the duty, to be a voice for policies that are fair and generous.And then God has something to say about how the poor are treated. Speaking for myself, I find it frustrating and discouraging to contemplate the poverty situation in our country. I imagine a lot of us feel the same way. We devote sums of money to combat poverty. We spend mountains of money on education;yet precisely where it is needed the most, in the poorest communities, the situation is the worst.I’m the first one to say, “It’s complicated”; because it is. Yet the fact remains that we have a paradox in our country. We are a land of opportunity: people come here with no English, no money and no connections, and they build a great life. Meanwhile, we have people who are born here, and they are going nowhere, and they know it. They end up on drugs, in prison, and in a grave. Just because it is a really hard problem doesn’t mean we give up. There is a saying: “better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness.” So we light a candle. We do what we can.For one, you and I can pray: pray for our hearts to open wider, and that we seek out ways to make a difference. You want to light a candle? Here are a couple of ways.When you go to a restaurant, tip well. Really well.The servers aren’t all poor, but many are, or they are just climbing out.They don’t get paid much. Tip them well.And if you ever go to a Mexican restaurant, there’s a very good chance the people fixing your meal and bringing it to you and cleaning up after you are not only poor, but they are our fellow Catholics. Do you realize that they often don’t come to Holy Mass?Why don’t they come?For one, they don’t speak English; for another, they may feel out of place. And, third, many of them are working all day on Sundays.There is a priest in our Archdiocese who goes and offers Mass in the restaurants, in Spanish. That’s good; but still, it would be a more generous helping of justice if these our brothers and sisters were able to come to church, and we made them welcome? Maybe write a note on the check -- along with a good tip! – that says, “You are welcome at St. Remy Church in Russia.”Let me say something more about being an “alien” – that is, an outsider.Here in Russia, we have such a strong Catholic community, and so many blessings go with that. But there is another side to this. If you’re not Catholic, and you’re not married to a Catholic, and you live in Russia, I’m betting you feel like an outsider. And then there are people who, even if they are Catholic, they don’t fit the mold. Maybe their lives are a little chaotic. Maybe they’ve made some mistakes in lifeand they feel like they don’t fit in. So if you’re wondering what this reading says to us, here in Russia, Ohio, maybe it is that you and I push ourselves to look around for folks to include. If you’re in school, and it’s a small school like ours, not fitting in can be really harsh. So Russia students, God is telling you: don’t oppress the outsider; Make those other kids feel welcome. Do right by them!We have a Parish Mission in a week, and obviously we want to invite others to take part. But if you really want to welcome someone, to make a neighbor or coworker or classmate feel welcome, don’t just invite them to church. Sit with that boy or girl over lunch. Invite those folks into your home. Share a part of your life with them.That’s how “aliens” become friends. That’s what loving your neighbor as yourself looks like.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

There are a number of passages of Sacred Scripture that get distorted in their meaning; today’s Gospel is one of them. Specifically, when our Lord says, “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar’s, and to God what belongs to God.”Whenever we as Christians seek to have a say about government laws or policies, we often hear this passage quoted.A lot of us heard this in the controversy over the government’s order that nearly every employer, including many religious organizations, would be forced to provide contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs as part of the insurance they provide at work. As you know, the Catholic Church and many others who objected to this violation of freedom of conscience have been fighting in the courts over this for many years. We won some key decisions.But recently, the Trump Administration issued new guidance that finally allows all employers – not just religious organizations – the right to refrain from participating in the provision of contraceptives. I want to reiterate this: all employers now have the right to refuse to cooperate in this.While contraceptives may be legal, they are never morally acceptable.In any case, all during this, we’ve heard people say, “Render unto Caesar.” As if Christ is saying,what government wants, government gets.Let’s just get this clear right now. That’s wrong!That is not what Jesus is saying in this Gospel.First, notice the discussion was specifically about a tax—And about a coin.They show him the coin, and he asks, “whose image is this?” That is the key: because the coin bears Caesar’s image, then it belongs to him. Let him have what bears his image.Got that?Then listen what he says next: “And what belongs to God, give to God.”The coin bears Caesar’s image; But tell me: what bears God’s image, God’s inscription?Well, that would be all of Creation! “The heavens declare the glory of God,” Psalm 19 says; creation bears witness to God, Paul wrote to the Romans. Above all, the image of God is the human race. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” is what God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit said before they created humanity: “male and female he created them.”So when our government says its OK to destroy unborn children? And to torture people as part of war? Or to humiliate the poor, because they are poor? Or to push aside the sick and elderly?These are God’s treasure! They bear his image! Hands off, Caesar!Do you know where this applies most clearly? Marriage.Recall again what Genesis said: “in the image of God…male and female, he created them.”When we say we are made in the divine image, what does that mean? God is the Creator above all. While God created everything out of nothing, what do we do?If you are an engineer or architect or in construction, you can build whole cities, but you have to labor with wood and stone and steel – you can’t make it out of nothing. The farmer can produce a great harvest, but he needs seed and soil and sweat, and the blessing of the right weather at the right time. If you are a writer or poet or painter, you can create people and worlds and histories—but they only exist on canvas, or the printed page, or the silver screen. You can’t breathe them into life.But there is a moment—just one!—when man in breathtaking audacity soars to the skies and comes whisper-close to being just like God,and in a moment of unrestrained love, generous and sacrificial,actually does it! Actually creates something from nothing!And not just any something, but the greatest of somethings—another divine image, a human being that will live forever!It’s when a man and woman come together in the marital embrace.Marriage – requiring a man and a woman – is when humanity is most fully the image of God!Hands off, Caesar!

The next time someone quotes this Gospel to you, as if to say, even Jesus says let government do what it likes,you might quote back today’s first reading. It mentions Cyrus, who was the all-powerful Persian emperor in Isaiah’s time. But notice: it’s God who calls the shots; Cyrus does his bidding, not the other way around. Cyrus didn’t intend to do God’s bidding, but no matter.God is one in charge.Now let’s bring it forward to our own time.When Jesus said these words, no one asked him, or anyone else, what the laws should be, or who should govern. But in our time, you and I make those decisions. Did you know there is an election in a few weeks?There are just a few items on the ballot. Statewide, there are two issues; and in various places there are tax levies.For example, there is a levy for our Russia Volunteer Fire Department, and there is a levy for the Houston Ambulance District.Obviously it’s vital to have our fire and ambulance services, who save lives every day. And I want to reiterate: it isn’t Caesar or someone else who decides.You and I who are voters have the responsibility;And everyone has freedom of speech to influence the decision.People died to win and defend these rights for us!And a year from now, we will have elections for our statewide offices, for state legislature and Congress. And these are really important.These people make life and death decisions.So: you’re on notice! You have a year to get ready.And realize, there may be elections in the spring to choose candidates in the fall. This is our responsibility!In our country, you and I decide who will be Caesar, and what he will be able to do. Our government often fails to respect the divine image, in unborn children, in the elderly, in the poor and outsiders, in how it deals with other countries. Our Supreme Court, with supreme, breathtaking arrogance, gave itself the right to reshape marriage, not after God’s plan, but after its own whims and theories.Well, Caesar is in our hands. They answer to us! You and I have the right and therefore the duty – before God! – to hold them accountable;and to protect what belongs to God.Meanwhile, that applies to each of us.You and I bear that sacred image of God.We are his coin; we bear the inscription of his Name,When we were baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, of the Holy Spirit!Like the coins in our pockets get soiled and disfigured, so do we.If you’re feeling that, I have good news, the best good news!There is nothing God loves more than to restore his image, in you,to make it beautiful, to make it shine!That’s what he does in confession, in calling us back to him.And I want to remind you, in two weeks we’ll have a Mission with Father Nathan Cromly, and he’s going to be reminding us, and teaching us, about the joy you and I have as God’s sacred image, God’s People.In the Gospel, they were all concerned about that coin, bearing Caesar’s image. But notice, Jesus couldn’t care less about the coin.What matters supremely to him is you.

Sunday, October 15, 2017

In the readings, we have a feast; a marriage; a surprise invitation; and a guest who was unprepared.The question that always gets the most attention is this: why was the one guest unprepared? He wasn’t dressed properly; and people will say, but they took him off the street, how could he have been prepared?That misses the point, which is that when God gives us an invitation, we will be able to give a response. And in this parable, there are three responses people give:The first is what the original guests give. Their answer, not to say it too rudely was, “The King? Nuts to the king!” There are less polite ways to say it, that I won’t say, but you know what I mean.Then we have the response of most of the guests who show up. The king finds them suitably attired. Their response was the right one. In a word, they said “yes, Lord,” not just to the invitation, but to everything that went with it. They changed their lives. They recognized Jesus as their King and rearranged their lives around that reality. And then we have this guest. He didn’t flatly refuse; but he also didn’t really say yes. He wants to be along for the ride. He wants to hedge his bets. He doesn’t really respect the invitation, or the King. There are plenty of people in our time who have the integrity to recognize that calling yourself a Christian carries great demands; and they are not ready to do it. So you will meet people and say to them, “weren’t you baptized a Catholic? Aren’t you a Christian?” And they will say, I was, but I am not any longer.” And it might be a disappointment or hurt; and many will admit they just drifted away; but again, there will be those who will say forthrightly, “I am not prepared to be a Catholic because…” and then explain why.There is something to respect in people at least realizing that following Jesus Christ is not a trivial matter, but the most serious decision. Then we have the guest who gets thrown out. He takes it all very lightly. This is the person who says, sure, I’ll be a godparent for a baptism, even though he or she doesn’t make living the Faith a priority. How can someone agree to be a sponsor for baptism or confirmation – which means, you will model the Faith by your life – when you know you’re not doing that? And I know how painful it is not to be able to invite family or friends to be godparents, but it’s a very solemn responsibility. And if you can’t find suitable godparents, come and talk to me. This guest without the wedding garment is someone who fundamentally misunderstands what Jesus asks. Our Faith is not like sales tax. You go to the store, you pay the tax, and that satisfies the state. You go on as you like.Some people imagine being Catholic is like that. I check off the boxes, I’ve done my duty, and then I do as I please.But that is not Christianity. That is not our Catholic Faith. You know what that is? It is a warmed-over paganism. In the time of the Apostles, this is precisely how the pagans approached religion. Zeus or Aphrodite or Mithras or whatever gods you worshipped, were almost never the center of life. You made your periodic sacrifices, you showed up for a religious holiday, and then you lived as you like. But what does Jesus say? “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” And, “If you are not with me, you are against me.” And, he said, “If you would be my disciple, take up your…Cross and follow me.” To follow Jesus is to be all in. He is the King.What Jesus offers us is costly, but it is also a super-abundance of life. Nothing is more demanding, and yet it is to drink Life from the Source. What could be better?Notice what was that guest invited to? To a wedding, to a feast. And remember, he wasn’t one of the rich swells who was used to this; he was poor and hungry.The future that Jesus opens up for us? There is no upper scale. There is no upper limit to how much abundance of life and joy and peace and fulfillment will be ours on that mountain where death is destroyed forever!You and I are bidden to that wedding; and all Jesus asks is, “give me your heart. Say yes to me, as your King.” The marriage is between the Son of God and the People he has called to himself. Our destiny is something breathtaking and shocking to say: we will be united with God! In three weeks our parish will have a mission, with Father Nathan Cromly. The title of the mission is, “Discovering Joyful Catholicism.” Our Faith is demanding, and yet it is a Feast.There’s a funny old movie called “Auntie Mame,” and she says, “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” That banquet is our Catholic Faith: an abundance of truth about who God is and who we are. Tables groaning with mercy for all who want it, and we can go back, again and again. A flood of grace that gives us strength to be people we could never be otherwise. And a life – in this world and the world to come – that is worth everything we give, to have. Because that life is Jesus Christ himself.So, first, if you need your batteries recharged – and who doesn’t? – then come to this mission. The dates are November 6-8, and Fr. Cromly will give a talk in church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. There are other events planned for our children and teens to meet him. Each night will include time for prayer and priests to hear confessions.And if you need a reason to go, the theme is your answer: do you want, do you need, to discover more joy in your Catholic Faith? Who doesn’t?Second, this is what Jesus sends us out to bring others to share. If you wonder what it costs to follow Jesus, how about this: Right now, it “costs” each of us looking around for people to invite. There are flyers at the doors, feel free to take one. We’ll have more next week. Pray for the people who you might want to invite, starting today. Pray for you to have the courage to say the words, to family, friends and neighbors, “would you like to come with me to St. Remy’s Parish Mission?” And how about this? If someone pokes back at you, “well, you don’t seem all that joyful!” You tell them, “You’re right! That’s why I’m going! You come with me.”

Sunday, October 08, 2017

When we listen to Jesus speaking in the Gospels, and we hear him hit a subject hard – as he does in this passage – we might say, like kids in school, “wow, he sure burned them!”And, yes, he did!But I don’t think the Apostle Matthew tells this story for that reason. The point isn’t so we can hear what Jesus had to say to other people.Rather, the point is, what is he saying to you and me, here, now?So if you ever have trouble understanding a Bible passage, this is a way to make things much clearer.Just ask: what does this passage say about me? To me?As we saw, Jesus was hitting the chief priests, the spiritual leaders. So this hits home with me, at least; I hope it hits home with our bishops. What I’m going to say next is going to be a little tough, and not pleasant to hear, but I think it needs to be said.In recent decades, I’m sorry to say that your spiritual leaders didn’t serve you very well.After the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s,there was all this enthusiasm for “reform” and reorganizing everything. A lot of folks got carried away. A lot of it really had nothing to do with what the Church actually decided at Vatican II.And now, looking back after 50 years, while there were good things we can point to – and I’ll highlight one in a moment – there were some real problems.For example, the Holy Mass itself underwent change; again, some good effects, but some bad. We had a period of wild experimentation, and as a result, there was a loss of reverence in many places.This is something Father Amberger worked hard to restore, and many, many parishioners have told me how important it is that our Mass is reverent.Many who visit here say the same.But if you visit other places, you will see a real loss of reverence.Worse, it was our spiritual leaders – priests on orders from the bishops – who removed beautiful altars and statues;and built some really strange-looking churches.At the same time, there was this mindset that anything old-style had to go. People were told, don’t worry about going to confession, and penance on Fridays, and many forms of devotion.Thankfully, these trends have reversed.

Worse was the way handing on of the Faith was derailed. A whole generation of Catholics grew up without really knowing the Faith. I know, because I belonged to that generation, and I know I’m not the only one.Worst of all – and this is the ugliest fact to acknowledge – was the failure to deal decisively with offenses against children.As a priest, I am deeply ashamed of what happened,and on behalf of those who ought to apologize, I beg your forgiveness.Now, this is a sad litany, but the point is that what happened in the Gospel, still happens; sometimes our spiritual leaders fail us.The good news is, that unlike what happened in the first reading, where God seems to walk away from the vineyard, what Jesus does is to send new leaders,who will give him the “produce at the proper times.” And this brings me to one of the really good things that has happened since Vatican II. A theme Vatican II emphasized was that the mission of the Church is not merely the task of bishops and priests. Rather, it belongs to every single one of us.If you are baptized, you are a Christian;If you are a Christian, you share in the mission of Jesus Christ.And while in many cases bishops and priests dropped the ball in recent decades, it was the lay faithful of the Church who picked it up.One of the fruits of laypeople stepping up was to push back, asking for accountability; asking for their churches to be beautiful again, asking for Eucharistic adoration, which was discouraged for awhile.What’s more, the bishops and priests who have corrected these mistakes started as laymen who decided they needed to step up.So, if you are ever frustrated by our bishops, our priests – by the pope – then remember what you can do.You can speak up – with charity and prudence;You not only can, but you must pray. If there is one thing that we learned in the last few decades is just how powerful the Rosary is.It was the Rosary that won the Cold War – Mary predicted it! – and there are many, many people here, right now, who witnessed that miracle: of the Cold War ending not with nuclear annihilation, but with barely a shot being fired.And if you ever think we could have better bishops or priests, you are absolutely right!

We need men with backbone who want to give their lives for a cause bigger than themselves, who aren’t concerned about whether they have an easy life and lots of money, but who want to be coworkers with Jesus Christ.So, young men, maybe the better priests we need include you!Parents, maybe it’s your son or grandson. And whatever our bishops and priests say, or fail to say; do, or fail to do, there is a whole lot that can be done in the Vineyard by you, the baptized faithful. Look at EWTN: it was founded 31 years ago.What a change it has brought!Look at the many great Catholic resources on the Internet.With a few exceptions, these were created, not by bishops and priests, but by ordinary Catholics who just got down to work! The Holy Spirit did powerful things through them.Just to give a very simple example here in Russia.Our St. Vincent de Paul group is trying gather funds for food for our area soup kitchens. We’ve done a lot, but this time around, there hasn’t been a great response, so can we all give them a helping hand? They are making it easy, just a financial contribution, and they will get the food at the best prices.How about this week, writing a check?You can make it payable to the parish, but mark it, “food for the poor” so we know where it should go.In recent months, it seems like we’ve been hit with too much bad news. Terrible violence as in Las Vegas. Natural disasters. Political polarization, some of which is affecting the Church.It is so easy to get weighed down by all that.We don’t ignore these things, but it is the devil who wants us to be discouraged.Instead, listen to what Saint Paul said in today’s reading.What is true, what is just, what is “worthy of praise, think about these things.”There is one priest in this parish; there are 1,500-1,600 laity.There are a couple hundred priests and three bishops in our archdiocese; there are a half-million Catholics.That is a mighty, mighty army. Armed with faith; armed with courage; clothed with grace from the sacrament of confession, and made strong by the food of the Eucharist, you and I are powerful coworkers of the Lord.So don’t ask what Jesus is saying, in this Gospel, to somebody else.What is he saying to you?

Sunday, October 01, 2017

In this Gospel passage, we hear about two sons.But, in fact, there are three.The third Son is Jesus himself, the Son of God – who is described in the second reading from St. Paul.These three sons show us three paths:The first son is rebellious and then repents.The second son keeps up appearances, but is a hypocrite;The third son – the Lord – takes the path of sacrifice and self-gift.Notice something about the two sons: both have sinned;But one son has the advantage of a good reputation to hide his sins; the other bears public shame even after he has changed his ways. This is a reminder that lots of us have the luxury of our sins being hidden from public view, while others’ sins are all very well known. The result is that we, who only know part of the story, judge some people harshly; and don’t kid yourself, many of those folks are very aware of that judgment.Our bishops call this Respect Life Sunday, and they want every Catholic to grow in awareness of the value of each and every human life – and to bring that awareness to bear in questions of public policy. The obvious issue is legal abortion; and not only working to protect unborn children, but also to care for the mothers and fathers who are wounded. And we know there are other concerns, such as research that destroys human embryos – that is, early human life. And it should be mentioned that there are alternatives that do not destroy life and we Catholics are 100% in favor of those alternatives.Yet another obvious task – becoming more urgent – is countering the push for “assisted suicide.” Suicide is always wrong, because it is simply self-murder. You and I don’t get to decide when anyone dies, and that includes ourselves. That’s not to minimize the suffering many people experience; but the answer to suffering is not to kill people, but to help them relieve their pain and discover new purpose. Also, we’re not talking about those situations when people are nearing the end of life, and all they want is to refuse intrusive or extraordinary means of care. I don’t want to get too detailed here, but if anyone has any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to ask me, and I will gladly help you out on this.Thankfully, many people are pushing back. But this form of murder has been legalized in six states and the District of Columbia, our nation’s capital. And there are powerful forces and lots of money behind this. Don’t be surprised if, in the near future, someone will try to legalize it in Ohio.Meanwhile, here in Ohio, it is legal to execute people who have committed terrible crimes. And while that is not the same thing, because we are talking about a punishment of a guilty person, rather than the death of someone innocent…We might remember what Pope John Paul II said on this: that while the state has the right to apply this punishment, it would be better if we chose non-lethal means wherever possible. For that reason, our bishops have been urging a change in the law, so that the death penalty would not be used unless there really was no alternative.The other thing our bishops would remind us, is that being pro-life isn’t just about this or that issue; it is about how we treat all people, from the very beginning of life to its natural end. And if we really want to be pro-life, then what about making sure that women who are in trouble, are helped to choose life? We are so blessed to have organizations like the Elizabeth New Life Center and Rustic Hope that support women and families in these situations. I encourage everyone to support these efforts. And if we can, find ways to do even more.There are a lot of ways government policy can either foster human life and the family, or else degrade life. If we are truly pro-life, then it is incumbent on us as citizens to bring compassion to bear in every way we can. And to return to the Gospel passage we started with. We have two sons, one who sin against his father is very public, and another, whose sins are more hidden.Pope Francis has often talked about how the Christ’s Church is called to be a “field hospital,” that brings people back to life.And that is the task the third son makes his own.So where do and I fit into this picture?We are not the Son of God, we know that. However, you and I have been given the invitation to imitate him, and to share in his work.But first things first: take the path of the first son and own up to our wrongs, rather than be the second son who has a good reputation to be proud of, but nothing else.

About Me

I am the parish priest at Saint Remy Parish in Russia, Ohio, in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
What appear to be my opinions expressed herein are, in fact, my opinions, no one else's. Those in the comments belong to the commenters.